Leadership based on capability

MAYBERRY Investments Limited (MIL) has reinforced the leadership behind its control environment and operational infrastructure, with three women now leading the functions that oversee governance, risk, processing and settlement. Rene Mitchell, vice president, Compliance, Risk & Internal Audit; Andrea Ho-Sang, senior vice president, Operations & Administration; and Nicole Walfall-Wyatt, vice president, operations, bring experience spanning compliance, trading, banking and treasury operations to the firm’s governance and operational backbone.

Together, the three executives lead the functions that sit behind every client transaction: the guardrails that keep the firm’s activity compliant and prudent, and the infrastructure that ensures trades are processed and settled accurately and reliably. For Walfall-Wyatt, the fact that women now lead both is a mark of the firm’s culture.

“It’s a proud moment, and it says a lot about Mayberry’s culture that leadership is based on capability. Governance and operations are where trust is built and protected. Seeing women lead those functions together sends a strong signal to our clients, our colleagues and the wider market. For me, it’s also about the relationships: we support and challenge each other, and that collaboration makes the firm stronger,” she said.

Rene Mitchell, overseeing the guardrails around the firm’s activity

Overseeing the guardrails around the firm’s activity is Mitchell, who leads the function responsible for the firm’s adherence to regulatory standards and for identifying and mitigating risk across the business. Having joined Mayberry in 2018 as senior manager of compliance following a background at Sagicor, Mitchell was promoted to assistant vice president in 2019 and to vice president in 2023, and holds an MBA in Banking and Finance from the Mona School of Business and Management.

Leading compliance, risk and internal audit together, she said, has changed how she sees the business.

“Compliance asks whether we are meeting our obligations, risk asks what could go wrong and how we prepare for it, and internal audit asks whether our systems and controls are actually working as intended. Together, they provide a much broader perspective on the business.”

Mitchell said the role sometimes requires saying “not yet” or “not like that”, but that the answer should never be a default.

“I don’t particularly enjoy being the person who says no, and I certainly don’t believe that should be the default position of a governance professional. My approach is usually to understand what the business is trying to achieve and then figure out how we can get there responsibly.”

Looking ahead, she wants governance to be involved early in business decisions rather than at the end of a process, and to become more proactive and data-driven, using technology to identify emerging risks. The quality she relies on most, she said, is her need to understand the “why” behind things; supported by her experience, which gave her an appreciation for structure, discipline and sound controls, and by her MBA, which broadened her view of the commercial objective.

“When people understand why a control matters and how it benefits the business, the conversation changes. It becomes less about what compliance is preventing them from doing and more about what we’re helping them achieve.”

On balancing a demanding role with family life, Mitchell credits a strong team she trusts to manage their areas, and a family that keeps her grounded. “Balance isn’t necessarily about giving everything equal time every day,” she said. “Sometimes work needs more of me, and sometimes home does. The important thing is recognising when the scales have tipped too far in one direction and making the necessary adjustment.”

Rene Mitchell.

Andrea Ho-Sang: One of Mayberry’s longest-serving leaders

Behind every transaction sits an operational infrastructure built to execute with precision, led by Ho-Sang. One of Mayberry’s longest-serving leaders, Ho-Sang joined the firm in August 1990 as a junior equity trader and has risen through successive promotions to hold strategic oversight of the processing, securities and settlement units — the core infrastructure ensuring client transactions are executed and settled accurately and reliably.

Beginning her career on the trading floor, she said, gave her a view of the heart of the company.

“In that period the stock market was the driving force behind investment decisions, and the finesse required to execute trades on an open outcry trading floor allowed me first-hand knowledge for negotiations and closing deals.”

Ho-Sang stepped into a role vacated by another woman who also continued in the industry. “Although the number of women in some roles was in the minority, their strength was always unmistakable,” she said, adding that over the years more women have filled top roles in the financial sector.

Her vision for operations is a team that continues to embrace technology so that repetitive, time-consuming tasks are no longer a challenge. On leading the team, she puts honesty ahead of any other strength. “I’ve led the team with a genuineness towards each person,” she said. “The personal strengths, eye for detail or being patient, are important, however being honest with staff is much more valuable. I’ve been able to walk the walk with the team, pretty much experiencing the ups and downs together.”

After more than three decades with the firm, her advice on balancing career and family is simple: “Every aspect of your life is important and you must recognize that. This means that one shouldn’t have to exist to the detriment of the other. So, setting time to unwind should be a daily task, and taking time out away from work is ideal to remain connected to family and friends.”

She is joined by Walfall-Wyatt, who brings extensive experience in treasury management, banking operations and financial services administration, together with a particular focus on people development and building high-performing teams. Her path through commercial banking, branch operations, centralised operations and treasury operations kept her in the discipline she now calls her niche.

“I’d say operations chose me. … What keeps me here is how much it matters: operations is the engine that lets the rest of the firm deliver on its promises to clients. I find real satisfaction in making that engine run well.”

On being asked to lead at Mayberry, Walfall-Wyatt said it was “humbling, rewarding, and energising at the same time,” and a sign of the firm’s trust in both her experience and her ability to transform the operations team. She also felt the weight of it, she said: “the team’s success is now my responsibility, not only my own work.”

Her approach to developing people starts with getting to know each team member, what they are good at, what they want to grow into and what support they need. She coaches through regular, honest conversations rather than waiting for annual reviews, and gives people ownership of real problems. She also believes a well-run operation should not depend on people burning out, relying on cross-training, planning ahead for peak periods and respecting time off, and she models that herself by taking time to attend to her own family and personal commitments.

Her vision is for operations to be a strategic partner to the business, not only a back office, with more automation and digitisation, stronger controls and risk management, faster client onboarding and settlement, and a deep bench of talent ready for Mayberry’s growth. Her edge in operations, she said, is perspective.

“I’ve worked operations from almost every angle: in the branch, in centralised processing and in treasury. I know what a delay in the back office feels like to the client standing at the counter, and I know what the back office needs from the front line to get things right the first time. … Plan ahead and stay calm when things don’t go to plan. That’s operations every single day, and it’s made me a calmer and more organised leader.”

Andrea Ho Sang .

Advice for the next generation

Asked what they would say to the next generation of women in financial services, the three leaders offered a common message: build strong fundamentals and keep learning.

Mitchell said representation matters, while stressing that leadership is ultimately about competence. “When younger women see other women in senior leadership roles, it reinforces the idea that those opportunities are attainable,” she said. “Invest in your competence, trust your judgement and don’t be afraid to take up space. … Be good at what you do, be willing to learn, and let your work speak for itself.”

Ho-Sang urged young professionals to keep their technical foundation strong as the industry digitises. “Know how to get the job done with or without the use of computers,” she said. “That’s the test of longevity.”

Walfall-Wyatt encouraged women to master the fundamentals, say yes to stretch opportunities “even when you don’t feel 100 per cent ready”, find mentors and later become one. “Don’t believe you have to choose between ambition and a full life,” she said. “You can build both, and you’ll lead better because of it.”

Nicole Wallfall-Wyatt.